“Don’t kill the messengers.”
In The Envoys of War, Dave Lawson delivers a motley crew of frustratingly charming misfits, tons of exhilarating action, a good dash of mystery, and plenty of magical mayhem; this rollicking fantasy adventure has a fun factor that rivals Michael J. Sullivan’s Riyria Revelations and James Logan’s The Silverblood Promise.
Look, when you give me a story following a bunch of characters who are all just a certified hot mess in their own unique way, I am in. Meet Gen, an aroace bodyguard for the King’s Envoys who is more than happy drinking her wine and swinging her sword; now meet Cordyn, a conniving rake who is way too charming and lustful for his own good; and then meet Tobias, a deceptive mage with questionable morals and a deadly lust for vengeance. Driven by their own selfish motivations, they find themselves reluctantly working together to pull off a daring rescue mission where danger, deceit and betrayal lurk around every corner. They never signed up to be the heroes, but they will do whatever they must to get what they desire… cue the chaos!
The Envoys of War really just hits the ground running and sucks you straight into the crazy messes that these characters call their daily lives. I was quickly impressed with how smoothly and skilfully Lawson pulled off the multi-POV storytelling, delivering a dynamic cast of (older!!) characters who all pop off the page in their own unique way. Sure, they sometimes felt just a bit too caricaturish and melodramatic to me, but I simply can’t deny their irresistible charm. And seeing them clash in the most entertaining ways because of their (secret) conflicting motivations and opposing personalities was just so entertaining, resulting in plenty of disastrously amusing moments where I didn’t know if I wanted to hug, slap or strangle them all.
For me, Gen was absolutely the highlight of the story, not only because she is just effortlessly entertaining and scarily relatable in her flaws, but especially because of her openly and unapologetically asexual and aromantic nature that I felt so seen and represented by as someone who lives under the ace umbrella themself. Though I also really appreciated Cordyn, a.k.a. everyone’s favourite incorrigible flirt, as a foil to her, and I especially enjoyed slowly unravelling the whole mystery surrounding his potential disloyalty at the start of the novel; Lawson knows how to get you hooked!
All that said, while I love me a good twisty and turny story, I do have to admit that the fast-paced and action-packed nature of The Envoys of War became a bit too hectic and overwhelming to me at points. It helps that the characters’ loud personalities kept me grounded throughout most of the craziness, but I personally would have loved to spend more time exploring the tense political landscape, admiring the fascinating magic of the water mages, and digging into the emotional/traumatic backstories and complex interpersonal relationships of the characters in order to feel more immersed and emotionally invested.
Still, I had an absolute blast with The Envoys of War, and I think it’s an extremely promising and enticing start to an excitingly fresh yet comfortingly familiar fantasy adventure; I certainly will be back for more, not least because I want to see so much more of my girls Gen and Evalia! So, if you like the sound of a DnD-flavoured quest fantasy full of delightfully messy characters, impressively complex schemes, surprisingly dark secrets, and just a ton of heart, then I can’t recommend The Envoys of War highly enough.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Envoys of War is scheduled for release on October 19th, 2024.
